Ashgrove

Description

Dave Alvin began examining the quieter side of his musical personality in earnest on his 1994 disc, King of California, and subsequent albums Blackjack David and Public Domain: Songs from the Wild Land followed in a similar path, leaving some fans to wonder when or if Alvin was ever going to crank up the amps in the recording studio again. Well, the news on Ashgrove, Alvins first album for the Yep Roc label, is that Dave is rockin againthough just a little bit. Ashgrove (named after the famed L.A. nightspot where Alvin saw legendary bluesmen play when the was a teenager) finds Alvin digging into the blues, and while Daves blues dont kick like, say, Jon Spencer these days, this is still several steps closer to the sound and feel of his early solo work such as Romeos Escape and Blue Blvd. The lean but potent blues undertow of Ashgrove and the smoky slow burn of Black Sky offer subtle but genuine muscle and punch, and the sinuous Out of Control and Black Haired Girl prove that Alvins tougher side has not abandoned him. At the same time, Alvin hasnt abandoned the more contemplative side of his nature, either, and as a songwriter hes continued to mature. Everett Ruess and The Man in the Bed are two deeply moving but very different portraits of men pondering their lives near the end of their journeys through this world, and Nine Volt Heart is a witty but powerful testament to what music can mean in someones life. Overall, the quieter material makes up the bulk of Ashgroves playing time, but the handful of blues-based tunes on board give the set a texture thats cool and sharp, and the result resides in a satisfying middle ground that ought to please fans on both side of the electric guitar issue. ~ Mark Deming